White Rose
by mumbledtalks
Summary: "You know what, Mister? They say flowers could say things humans couldn't. Perhaps the rose I gave you could help you with your problems. I hope you have a great life."


Warning: self-beta'd (with the help of Ms. Word 2007 lmao), so there's probably some grammar mistakes and such.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Finder Series.

* * *

Akihito had never drunk that much until that day.

The day when he felt everything that mattered in his life crumbled down to pieces right in front of his two hazel eyes; his career, his friendship, even the love of his life, everything. Everything just seemed to disappear right before he grasps them in his fingers.

Akihito knew he had been kind of fucked up lately. His job constantly demanded him to do more, expected him to give them better than the best he could ever do. And he, admittedly as a professional photographer/crime journalist himself, was actually up for the challenge. He tried challenging the highest, hardest scoop that the public could get interested on, he had even put his own life on the line, using himself to collect as much information as he could, which he thankfully had never gone awfully wrong until that very moment. But his editor, bosses, everyone, they didn't seem to be satisfied, they needed more, something more, but that was all he could get, that was all he could do. And so for the very first time in his life, he gave up on the job, had asked for the boss to give him some time offs the job, and fortunately, he did.

Akihito thought he still could handle the pressure of the job until the reality hit him with a new kind of rock. It was a usual Saturday morning when his senpai at work invited him to go to a nearby cafe to _talk about something._ He hated to admit it but he had hoped more of this _something_ , to actually put a little bit of hope on his hopeless, super-dense senpai who had never actually noticed his affection towards him. He had tried, so hard, to gain his attention. He even had tried to impress him once with his article-which was admittedly hot judging by the way his boss decided it would be a good headline for their last month's magazine-but his senpai only shrugged him off with a simple _congratulation_ before going back to his own work, totally ignoring the blond who just stood there and waited for another response which he never got that day. Well, they were actually friends, like real friends, but sometimes when his senpai got too busy and too immersed in his work, he could ignore the other for an entire day, in which, Akihito had gotten accustomed with.

Anyway after they got onto their own seats, and even without ordering some coffee first, his senpai immediately stated what he wanted to talk about, like there was nothing to talk about besides that. The photographer had remembered it correctly, from the way his senpai's eyes gleamed in happiness and his smile stretched wide below his nose. The way his senpai had taken his hands in his own and spoke rather cheerfully, blabbering his thoughts to every customers presented at the moment.

 _"I'm going to get married!"_

Oh, Akihito had also remembered his own reaction. From the way his hazel eyes opened wide in shock, from the way his mouth gaped open in disbelief, and from the way his face paled from the instant pain those words brought to his emotion, impaled him deep down into his heart. And even though it was bleeding, his senpai couldn't see it, and he couldn't let him know it either.

The girl he chose to be the bride was apparently his own colleague, who was actually a fine, brunette woman; body full of curves, face full of natural make-up, natural wavy hair, truly every straight man's dream. The wedding was supposed to be next week, which the blond didn't actually feel like coming. Didn't mean to be rude, but he was so tired of torturing himself.

After that, all of his life seemed to fall down like dominos; one problem fell onto the other causing the entire line to drop onto the ground, which was what he currently feels at the moment.

Right when he was at his lowest and in need for an understanding from someone close, he had a fight with his friends, Kou and Takato. He didn't really remember what was the point of the whole argument but he knew it was pointless-wholly and utterly pointless completely stupid. And what made him feel worse was the fact that he was the one who started it, saying that he was desperate, short in cash, and of course, short in love if you could say that. His friends somehow hated to see him like that, and they encouraged him, they actually encouraged him to move on, offered him some money and hands even. But Akihito had stubbornly refused, yelling at them that they don't understand what he was exactly going through. Thanks to his own foolishness, the two finally gave up on him, telling him to fuck off and reflect on his own words before going back to them. The blond was half-conscious at that time, he didn't even register all of the words they had said before they went out, leaving him in his own apartment with his cans of beer, along with his seemed-to-be never ending sorrow.

And now here he was, still short on cash but dared himself to go down the street, to the lines of the cheapest bar up to the most expensive one, with a single, white rose in his right hand.

Right, _a white rose._

He still remembered what that little girl said when she gave it to him; right on the side road with her shabby dress and thin sandals which looked too cold in the middle of an autumn night. In her hands, she held a worn-out basket, filled with several flowers which looked unsold at the moment. With warmth that could melt the South iceberg, she smiled to him, offering him the white, lone flower as she stood back, as if observing him for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.

 _"You know what, Mister? They say flowers could say things humans couldn't. Perhaps the rose I gave you could help you with your problems. I hope you have a great life."_

It sounded so absurd the first time he heard it, honestly. But seeing the honest and pure look on her face, his heart clenched in pity, and much to his dismay, he spared the girl some coins before going on his way, leaving the girl alone as she continued selling down the remaining flowers.

For a moment, he actually tried to believe what the girl said. About the flowers could talk and solve his problem. That actually sounded like an irrational idea, but since when had he ever be rational? With that thought, he decided it wouldn't be bad to keep the flower with him as he descended to another bar.

The dim lights and the heavy pounding of the music met his senses as he ripped the double doors away to make some way for himself. Cold-sweated bodies glued against each other on the dance floor, silently tempting him, taunting him to come and join in a group of people who was desperate for music and beats.

But Akihito refused the silent persuasion dismissively before going back to the bar, sitting himself on one of the stool as he waited for the bartender to notice a new customer. Eventually, though, the man in suit with a bowtie tied around his neck came his way with a professional smile while rubbing some invincible dirt on the glass with a piece of cloth over and over again.

Akihito immediately went with his usual beer, and it was not that long till' he had successfully drown himself in the effect of that alcoholic drink, taking most of his rational mind away and made him a lot more tipsy than he was before.

The things around him swam in his vision; making some weird shapes that artist would call it abstract. Akihito was almost had it all when his stomach made this weird ups and downs, churning in a painful yet pleasurable way as he threw his whole upper body's weight onto the long table.

Bringing up his hands, his eyes caught the white petals of his rose. The clean, pure white that was so out of the dim place, making it stood up more than the other things around it. Akihito let his eyes run over it, observing it briefly before putting it down right in front of his face, which was currently faced to one side as he leaned on the cold surface of the table.

Still in a daze, his eyes just stared helplessly straight to one point, where he found a group of men in dark suits: one man wore this super cool and totally badass sunglasses, the other one beside him wore an ordinary glasses, while the one who sat in front of them wore nothing to cover his eyes, blatantly showing off his sharp, piercing eyes, which were actually in an odd color: gold.

The first time he laid his eyes on him, he admitted the fact that he couldn't shake his vision off of him. He didn't know exactly why but maybe it was his unusual golden eyes, which were enticing and obviously piercing, even from his point of view at the moment. The way the man talked, no, the way he moved his lips screamed of both arrogance and grace, his every move smooth and quiet, totally a gentleman's stance. His slick, raven hair was gelled backwards, tidily, and totally polished. In his hand, he held a tumbler which contained a million dollar drink, which looked so mouth-watering compared to his cheap one.

Akihito honestly didn't realize that he had stared at the man for some quiet time until those golden eyes shot back at him, his stare hot and filled with the eternal arrogance that immediately sent shivers down his spine. As if it was a spell, the blond reflexively straightened up his sitting position as he effectively avoid that gaze. It was actually against his will, but he somehow felt a little bit nervous. Maybe it was because of the beer, or maybe it was because of the way the man stared back at him...

The photographer only shook his head briefly before going back to his beer, sipping it bit by bit until he felt the usual burn inside his throat. It could at least help to tone down his nervousness a little, that was what he thought actually.

But then again, glancing to his side, he realized that the man was still staring at him. What made him more surprised than he already was the fact that he was smirking, the corner of his mouth quirking upward seductively as one of his eyebrow arched up, his face full of confident which could absolutely petrify a coward. Which, Akihito was at the moment. He was, indeed, petrified by the gaze the man sent him. It was hot, and completely predatory. Akihito could feel himself shrinking to little mushrooms as the man looked at him like a predator would to his prey, all helpless and totally vulnerable.

Golden clashed with hazel, making some current of electricity that was immediately sent to the spine of Akihito's back. The man was totally handsome, like so inhumanly gorgeous and so out of this world. Even in his still dazed, blurred vision, Akihito could make up most of his features. And every single one of them was silently taunting him, seducing him like a silent killer.

And then the man licked his lips.

Like, so suddenly, literally, _licked_ his lips.

 _Oh God, did that action affect me_ , Akihito thought, while fighting the urge to groan in satisfaction. The glistening, wet trail that that sinful tongue left on his lips gave him the same effect as 10 shots of his beer did. He suddenly felt airheaded, and his once calmed heartbeat came back to life as it made this weird, panicking staccato beneath his chest. The man looked so- _freaking_ -sexy now, like, he effectively changed from a total gentleman to a sex sadist, tempting his body without even touching him. And the way his eyes never left him made him feel like the man did that for him, actually for him and nobody else beside him. The thought had done a great job of making his pants constricted with the sudden bulge that grew awake between his legs, making him groan once again as he realized that the man had successfully made him horny... without touching him. _Great Aki, just how desperate you really are?_

After several minutes of tension, Akihito finally averted his gaze, already feeling the sudden heat that was both uncomfortable and pleasurable pooling down on the pit of his stomach. For the umpteenth time of that night, he tried to calm his beating heart, to at least get his normal temperature back because damn this was just getting hotter with each passing second. He tilted his glass to drink away the last drip of his beer before slamming down the money flat on the table, giving an indication that he was done for the night.

With his slightly swaying body, Akihito finally worked his remaining energy to drag himself to the exit, which was full of effort because of the thousands bodies that were on his way. He slipped his slim figure slowly yet carefully, trying as best as possible to not touch anyone because waking up with his body smelt like trash didn't really appeal him at the moment.

Through his dazed mind, Akihito vaguely sensed something touched his bottom, and then the front of his pants, and even sometimes going to his top, sliding from his chest down to his sides. He had ever heard of sexual harassment but he could not be care less to call for help. Instead, he just let it be before dismissively sliding his body further away, going out of reach of whomever or whatever that was trying to molest him.

With a sigh of relief, the blond finally made it out to the street, everything still intact thankfully. The cold breeze that suddenly blew chilled him down to the bone, making the way past through his thin, brown jacket. He expected himself to jog all the way home then, but then he realized the alcohol that was still in his system wouldn't allow him to do so. Sighing, he slowly made his way down the street, pocketing both of his hands inside his pants pocket as he wobbly walked, and breathing white puff of breath from the lips that had turned paler since the moment he came outside once again.

For a moment he could feel someone was following him. Like, he really did. But he immediately doubted his own intuition and chose to think of it as his drunkenness' delusion. With a new convincing thought that crossed his mind, he walked down the road once again.

And then his ears heard another footsteps echoing. This time, he was almost sure it was not only in his mind. But then he only shrugged it off before continuing on his way.

And the next moment he knew he turned around, cautiously checking on his own doubts. Akihito immediately grumbled under his breath when he found nothing tailing him. He turned around but kept a steady stance, guard full-on alert.

Without realizing it himself, he had started pacing up his own speed, feeling the sense of panic washed over him as the seconds ticked away on the digital clock in his phone. Seconds later, he knew he was running, from what he didn't know. The adrenaline rush was pumped furiously to his veins, sending mixed signals to his brain. One moment he felt dizzy, but the other he just didn't feel anything because of the danger he knew was coming for him.

Akihito definitely didn't see that coming when a hand just suddenly grabbed the back of his collar, before pulling him harshly backwards to slam his body against the cold, hard surface of a wall. The stars were playing funny things to the back of his eyes before he registered his surroundings. In front of him was a man, with an auburn hair that tousled messily from right to left, in an ordinary-looking suit that you could see anywhere near office buildings. The man had wisely trapped Aki in between his long arms, seizing their distance as he stepped forward, sending uncomfortable chills down his spine. When the blond was about to push him away, he saw his eyes: dark-gray eyes that dropped down half-way, lidded with obvious unconsciousness with that distinctive pink coloring his cheeks. _Ah... He must be drunk._

"You..." the man spoke, his voice came out harsh and deep, "... I've been eyeing you all nite, _bishie_. That plump ass of yours have been inviting me to come prowling to you," he closed the remaining distance between them and whispered; "My penis has been aching for you."

As if to make his point, he rubbed his pelvis against Akihito's tight, and the photographer immediately realized that those dirty words meant serious. With an awkward laugh, Akihito put both of his hands on the man's shoulders before pushing slightly, "You know what, man? I may be drunk but I ain't anybody's pussy for the night. So if you'll excuse me..."

Akihito was unconsciously feeling grateful when he pulled his hands down so, so slowly...

But then he pushed Aki with his own bigger body, smashing their bodies together to actually rub his erected member down there against Aki's, and the blond involuntarily groaned at that. The hold he had on the man's shoulders tightened as the alarm inside him went off fully, telling him to just 'push and fucking run!'

The photographer may have felt his life was trash, but being raped by a drunken stranger in the middle of the night outside was not his choice of ending it. No, he wouldn't go without a fight, even in his slightly, tipsy condition.

The auburn-haired man put his hands on Aki's sides, roaming his slim body with his rough, wide palms as he sent hisses directly to the blond's ears, like he thought that would be sexy. The moment the man bit his ears, Akihito finally worked his legs to try to kick him off, but damn this man had body-built. The photographer trashed aloud, but seeing the time, nobody would probably hear him, or care to, anyway.

The photographer could already feel the man's bites trailing from his ear down to his neck, and he suddenly felt the sudden urge to take a midnight bath, even though he honestly hated that.

The men were still struggling, and Akihito was gradually getting tired of it. His hands ceased on hitting the man and his legs immediately felt like jellies as he slid down. The man only smirked down at him, probably feeling victorious, before he himself got down on his knees to continue his act. Akihito just closed his eyes, the urge to flee was so strong but what else he could do...

Akihito almost thought himself was dreaming when suddenly, a pair of golden eyes met his gaze in the darkness behind them. The view immediately pumped him back to life as he pushed the man with a new energy, sending him off his feet as his body tumbled backwards. The man groaned in pain as he shut his eyes, feeling the burn on his ass when the impact hit him. But when he opened his eyes, though, his face immediately paled, and without any command, the man ran for his life, his shaky legs didn't help much as he tripped on his own feet several times, before disappearing fully to the crowds.

Now sat on the ground alone, Akihito finally lifted up his gaze, staring at the person who stared back at him with that familiar, piercing gaze he met in the bar earlier. The man slowly revealed himself from the shadow; his features were still crystal clear in Akihito's hazy mind. Looking up-close, the golden-eyed man was handsome, even more inhuman than before. The blond gulped down the sudden lump in his throat as he felt himself mesmerized, staring at the man with eyes filled with admiration.

To his surprise, the man knelt before him. His heart immediately paced up against his will when he shot a hand to grab his jacket, and pulled it back on him to hide his already-exposed-skin full of bites. His golden eyes glowed, but his mouth only stayed in a grim line that Akihito knew wasn't because of amusement.

"Are you okay?" the man asked, his deep, baritone voice sent shivers down Aki's spine.

The blond nodded before seeing the man standing back up on his full stance, holding out a hand for him to take. Akihito couldn't even contain his confusion as the man kindly helped him standing up and followed him out of the dark alley (which was where he was), until he reached the main street. And even then, the man didn't go on his way, just stayed beside him until he couldn't hold the desire to question anymore.

"Umm..." Akihito spoke, a little bit hesitant, "Thank you.. I guess?"

The man only stared back at him, eyes gleaming with something which Akihito's dazed mind couldn't really make out of, "You going home now?"

Akihito could only numbly nod, didn't actually know what to say at the moment. He had said his proper thank you and now what?

"Then you're coming with me.", the golden eyed man immediately turned his back away as he walked further ahead of Aki.

On the other hand, Akihito was completely stunned. He had actually considered himself misheard of what the man said so he fastened up his pace, trying to catch up with the man's longer stride, "Excuse me?"

The handsome man didn't even bother to turn around as he spoke once again, "I will take you home."

"B-but... Why?" the blond reflexively blurted out, but it was normal. Even though he was just that handsome and most likely to be the most perfect person on his mind's eye, _isn't it weird to not get suspicious by his sudden kind invitation?_ He might be a bad guy, hell, he might be anyone.

"Anyone can get you at night. And in your state, I bet you couldn't do as much as fighting, just like earlier." he continued walking then, the sound of his footsteps echoed on the cold pavement, "Just consider yourself lucky that I did pass by."

 _Only passing by?_ Akihito urged internally, suddenly feeling a little bit of disappointment that the man was only passing by. _Of course Aki, of course he was just passing by. There's no fucking way he would come all the way out there intentionally just to save your ass, right?_

Akihito admitted he was a little hesitant whether to follow the man or not. One part of him wanted to, because even if it would be only a few minutes' drive, he could at least stare at the man longer and saves up as many images as he could in his brain so he could remember his handsome face in the morning. But the other part of him didn't want to, because he was suddenly reminded of every murdering scene he had watched in his favorite, thriller movies, picturing the scenarios if the man indeed was a bad man. He looked strong, and the way that auburn-haired man had run all the way out of the alley just by seeing his figure was the final prove of that. Akihito would be no match for him. Besides the fact that he wasn't fully sober yet, he didn't really know proper martial arts to defend himself.

The photographer thought about it, maybe a little too much, because the man in his million dollar Armani suit had turned around to see him, arching a handsome eyebrow to silently ask him about his kind offer. Meeting the golden irises with his hazel ones was the final considerations Akihito made in his head. _Fuck it, he is handsome and my flat is near. If he does anything I will run. Bitch please, it's now or never._

With the decision that he hoped he would not regret after he gets sober later, Akihito followed the man to the back of the building, where a black sedan was parked in the middle of a deserted parking lot.

* * *

The drive was so silent save for the sufficient talking the man with the golden eyes made while he was on the call with someone who was probably important, judging by the type of words he used throughout the business conversation. On the first 3 minutes when they got into the car, Akihito had stared at him, but he got bored so he just stuck his eyes on the window, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the little dots of street lights that accompanied their journey. In front of them sat two men, whose faces Akihito was familiar with. The one who drove was the blond, bulky one while the glasses guy sat beside him, briefly reading something in his phone as if there was nothing else to do inside the car while there was no conversation going around.

What chilled Akihito down the bone was the fact that they didn't even turn the radio on. It made the whole atmosphere more... awkward, he must say. He didn't really know what to talk about so he stayed quiet, though his mind urged him to break the ice, to at least introduce himself to the man so that it would be less awkward within them. But no such luck, the man didn't look interested enough in learning more of him.

Sometimes he looked bored, sometimes he looked amused. But whichever it was, he was still handsome.

The photographer suddenly felt stupid. With his looks alone, he could easily get his home address, even without knowing his name. Akihito silently hoped that he could know something of the man as well but whatever, seeing his face was enough to satisfy him... at least that was what he thought.

Approximately 30 minutes later, the car stopped abruptly in front of the flat which Akihito told them about. The blond waited for his cue to go out, and when he heard the lock being unlocked, he immediately got out, closing the door behind him and prepared to bow and gave them a mouthed 'thank you' and 'goodbye'.

But what surprised him even more was the fact that the golden-eyed man got out as well, even telling the driver to park the car, as if he wanted to stay longer... Akihito shook his head.

"I'm sorry but..." he hesitated, "What are you doing?"

"I said I'm taking you home." the man replied with ease.

"Yes, and this is my home. Now you could go ba-"

"Now, now, this is not exactly your home. It's one of the apartments I believe.", he spoke once again, voice dripping with sarcasm as that handsome smirk played right on his lips.

 _Of course_ , Akihito rolled his eyes, but immediately turned his back to lead the way.

It was not that long until they reached the second floor, and stood in front of the fifth door from the stairs they climbed from. It took awhile for Aki to actually fish out his keys out of his pocket and slid it in to unlock the door, but he finally did it with ease even though the eyes behind him were staring at him intently, observing him like the way he did in the club earlier. Akihito involuntarily felt the chills that went up and down his spine as he moved in, turning his back immediately to face the man fully. It wouldn't hurt to thank him once again, would it?

"So...", Akihito scratched the back of his head, "I don't really know why you took the liberty of taking me home but thank you anyway."

The man only shrugged, "No reason, really.", and then he smirked, making Aki suddenly doubted that.

"Then..." Akihito said, as his hands slowly closed the door beside him, "Good bye."

Just as Akihito was about to close it, a hand was suddenly rested firmly on it, and with one swift movement, tear the door wide open once again to reveal the man, feet still rooted on his spot as if he doesn't want to go yet. It was so fast, too fast for Akihito to grasp it when suddenly the man just lunged forward, hands quickly planting on each of his sides as he shoved his face forward, eventually meeting Akihito once again eyes-to-eyes at the short distance he created between them. It actually didn't take that long until Akihito felt a strong pair of lips kissed his plump one, the lips that he soon learnt were the lips of the man with golden eyes that was currently holding his body tight against his own at the moment.

The blond reflexively shut his eyes tight as he slowly melted against the firm kiss; he actually held his breath in anticipation on what the man would do to him. But his breath shakily escaped his mouth when the golden eyed man sneakily slid his tongue in, all the while roaming his hands on Akihito's torso to maximize the sensual sensation he created.

Akihito immediately knew himself was still drunk when he wrapped his hands around the man's wide neck, eagerly leaning forward towards the heated kiss. It was wet, hot, and amazing. It felt like his first kiss all over again. It might also be his longest kiss because at one moment, Akihito could practically feel his face flushing from the lack oxygen, his lungs seemingly begging for another set of air to breathe in.

As if sensing his needs, the man in suit in front of him finally pulled away from the kiss, his golden eyes glinting in amusement at the satisfying sight of a string of saliva still connecting their tongues. He held the blond for a few seconds, seeing that his knees were indeed giving up, before letting go with a satisfied smirk gracing his handsome features.

"I have wanted to try that beer for some time now. Glad it tastes even better than I have expected." at that, his smirk widened.

Just as the man was about to turn around to leave, a pair of hands shot from behind him and circled his neck once again, rotating his broad shoulder fully to face the drunken blond. His molten golden eyes widened as a pair of familiar lips kissed his once again, smashing his lips clumsily in its drunken state.

Akihito himself was honestly surprised by his own action. But somehow inside him, he truly didn't want this to end. Just... Anything... Anything that could make the man cease from leaving...

"I... Also want to try that drink of yours..." Akihito spoke, his voice sounded harsh and breathy, "Would you like to... Treat me some time?" at that, he weakly winked, attempting to look cheeky enough to tease the older man.

But that looked so fucking sexy in the other's vision, especially since the wink itself was accompanied with those blushing cheeks, and that wet plump cherry lips, and that clouded pair of eyes, the most mesmerizing hazel eyes that filled with the same lust he had in his own.

With one swoop, the black-haired man swept Akihito off of his feet, holding him around his waist to support his weight as he walked them to the living room which was visible from the front door. Akihito, too, automatically circled the man's waist with his legs, kissing the man passionately with his sloppy, wet kiss. It didn't take long until he felt his back touched the soft surface of his couch, with the man's broad figure looming above him like a real, night panther.

The golden eyed man once again took his breath away when his lips unlatched from his mouth, planting soft kisses on the area around his neck. His pants turned into a loud moan when the man just continued his ministrations, his skilled hands slowly made its way to discover the skin under his t-shirt. Akihito found his own hands crawling their way up to the soft, silky raven hair that was the man's hair, eventually gripping onto it as he silently pleaded for the man to continue whatever it was he had in his mind for him. Maybe he was that desperate, after all.

It was against his clouded mind when suddenly the sleepiness hit him home, surrounding his eyes with the thoughts of sleep when his eyelids fluttered close. The soft kisses became his lullaby as he slowly let the slumber took him, his body later relaxed under the spell of sleep.

* * *

Akihito woke up with a start. The headache immediately pounded into his head as he started sitting up, wincing as his body also started to ache as well. It was quiet surprising even for himself when he found him waking up on his own bed, still fully clothed without any significant pain from his bottom, at least that was what he had expected since he almost got... Laid by a stranger that took him home last night.

It sounded crazy though. They just met for like what, 2 hours? Exchanging several banters but they almost had sex, and Akihito had to admit that he was anticipating it as well. But he guessed that was it. The man didn't know his name and so did he, there was nothing that could connect them. They wouldn't meet anymore. The man was just like another page of his life, and he would be passed just by another flip of page. Akihito let out a sigh as he slowly stood up and attempted to grab a medicine to tone down his annoying headache.

The ringtone that was currently rung out of his phone sounded like thunder to his own ears. With laziness attached, he hastily walked towards the vibrating device, silently cursing under his breath for whoever that called him this early in the morning. His eyes widened though as he looked at the caller ID, panic found itself inside his mind as he clicked to answer.

"Kou? What-"

"Yo, Aki!" the other line exclaimed, sounded more cheerful than he expected, "So... Uhh... What does drinking at that cafe that just opened near the station sound to you?"

Hearing that, the panic suddenly dissipated from his brain, his smile slowly beaming from his mouth, "Yeah, that sounds fun. I will call Takato later. We should meet up.", he stopped for a moment, letting out a sigh of great relief, "I miss you guys."

"Alright! That sounds more like you, Aki!" Kou spoke, somehow he could feel his smile through his voice, "At the usual place and time?"

"At the usual place and time." Akihito repeated back, before hanging up the call shortly after.

For a moment he just stood there, his smile stayed stretched, his eyes shone with infinite happiness. Somehow one burden out of many on his shoulders was lifted up; making his life looked more colorful than it had been all this time. At least one out of many problems was already solved. It wasn't going to be a bad day after all.

As he swallowed down two pills, his phone rang again, this time it was a text from his boss. He was confused at first but his confusion immediately changed into sheer exuberance as he read the containing message, surprised filled his mind as he wondered what changed the inside of his boss' mind.

 _I've got some great scoop. Come to my office later at 5 if you're interested._

At that, Akihito also wondered if something happened last night. Everything seemed to become better this morning, and he wondered why that was. But he didn't care. At least his life turned back to something normal, and he could at least pick up the broken pieces and started all over again.

Drinking up his water, Akihito glanced at his surrounding, suddenly feeling that there was something missing last night. _What is it... Ah! Where's the fl-_

The bell that suddenly echoed from his front door woke him up from his musing, making his head jerked instantly towards the source. Without thinking, he set his foot on motion; curiosity filled his mind at his sudden morning visitor.

When he opened the door, though, he was completely, utterly speechless.

The first thing he noticed was his white rose, elegantly held with a strong hand that was right in front of him. The flower itself didn't look any different from last night, still fresh, and it made him wonder if this was his flower or not. Oh well, that's not really the case.

Broadening up his vision, his eyes met a sight that immediately made his heart speed up in a weird way. There, stood in front of him was the man, the man with those intense golden eyes from last night, dressing up in his dark suit as if he hadn't changed, but had he? He also was just the same like he recalled him to be. Slick raven hair that was gelled backwards, that pair of lips that formed that arrogant smirk, the broad shoulders, the tall figure, and those enticing golden eyes, that stared at him with the same kind of heat just like last night. Akihito involuntarily gulped down as he tried to form some coherent words to speak.

But the man raced him, "I come here today because I believe I have something that belongs to you," at that, he mentally pointed at the white rose, "and, I also remembered I owe you a drink."

The blond could only nod, still shock at the sudden turn of event. He kept his hazel eyes on the man as long as possible, trying to at least figure out what was in his mind, but as he thought, it was futile.

The man took hold of his dangling hand, handing the white rose as he continued, "But I think you also owe me your name."

 _Maybe..._ Akihito thought, couldn't actually contain his smile any longer, _this day, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and so on, wouldn't be so bad after all._


End file.
